ABOUT A YEAR after Northsiders elected him to the post, Hinds County District One Supervisor Robert Graham has big plans to reach out to more residents.

In the next couple of months, Graham hopes to begin a monthly newsletter discussing county business and plans to open a new avenue of communication with neighborhood leaders, said District One Special Projects Officer Sharon Sims.

Sims said Graham needs residents’ help to make the plan a success. He is asking the leaders of the Northside’s various homeowners associations to call his office and provide him with contact information, such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Those interested can contact his office at (601) 714-6227. “Now that he’s in his seat and settled into his new role, he’s welcoming calls for any reason,” she said.

Sims said the information collected will be used to keep associations informed about county business specific to District One. “We want to target those associations because they can get the information out quicker than we can,” she said.

Those issues range from money for road repair, Graham’s initiative to involve the community to improve parks, and creating a bus service for Lakeland Drive.



RESIDENTS throughout the district are also invited to call his office to sign up for a free newsletter that will start going out in November. She said it will provide people with information like economic development and recent board decisions.

Contact information, which would have been useful to one resident Sims spoke about, will also be included. Graham’s office received a phone call last week from a Northsider who had been given the run-around in trying to get a street light repaired.

“He called Entergy and they told him to call the city,” she said. “That’s something that a lot of people don’t know about.” Safety and security tips will also be included.

“We want to start the letter next month,” she said. “We just want to have some people to send it to. It will be available to anyone who wants it.” She said residents are encouraged to call the office whenever they have a problem, concern or compliment.